Itron Inc. announced that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the nation’s largest municipal utility, has selected Itron and Cisco technologies for its smart grid demonstration project.

The project, supported by U.S. Department of Energy ARRA funding, will provide the city with the ability to evaluate technology and program benefits as part of its continuing grid modernization and infrastructure improvements. LADWP will install up to 52,000 Itron smart electric meters and 20 smart water modules that will operate over an integrated cellular and multi-application IPv6 communication network based on the Cisco GridBlocks architecture using Cisco Connected Grid routers and Network Management System. In partnership with Cisco Services, LADWP will be able to deploy a secure, scalable communications infrastructure. Installation is scheduled to be complete by fall 2013.

This project will allow evaluation and development of increased energy efficiency and grid reliability, improved water resource management, and new programs and services for customers. In addition, it will create a foundation for the integration of electric vehicles onto the grid. LADWP will also be able to evaluate the technology to detect and restore power outages more quickly with this smart grid solution, and have the technology platform in place to shift peak power loads during periods of high demand to improve system efficiency and reliability within the project area.

“We look forward to working with Itron, Cisco and other developers as part of our demonstration project to prove the viability and evaluate the benefits of smart grid and smart water technologies for both DWP and our customers,” said Aram Benyamin, senior assistant general manager, power system at LADWP.